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Innovation Communities

Notre Dame Future’s Group’s Innovation Communities are the multidisciplinary, open-innovation communities you need to push into the future. We’re committed to true, open innovation, where silos fall, leaders at all stages of their careers connect, and the power of Notre Dame’s alumni, faculty, and industry communities converge to make a better world.

The Notre Dame Futures Group partners with all industries to equip them with the community, knowledge, and practices to build cultures of innovation. To do it, we host Innovation Communities, networks of people and organizations working together to drive new ideas and solutions. Through collaboration and research-backed strategies, the community helps solve industry problems and promotes growth.

These innovation communities are for individuals looking to:

  • Accelerate their careers in the industry

  • Get insights on where the industry is heading

  • Find strategic partners for open innovation projects

  • Explore various facets of the industry for their next investment, deal, or professional opportunity

  • Satisfy their curiosity and learn about the industry because they’re intrigued

How We Do It

Our Innovation Communities are year-long programs that feature all manner of opportunities to connect in person and virtually. We run symposiums, virtual events, regional roundtables, student innovation launchpad events, and other custom experiences tailored to the communities themselves. Notre Dame faculty, alumni, and industry insiders serve as moderators of executive boardroom style panels. And though we offer expert-led programming, perhaps the most potent element of our Innovation Communities are the relationships you’ll forge with fellow community members. Our goal is to facilitate the knowledge sharing and connection-building you need to inform decision-making, build strategic partnerships, and contribute to steward your industry into a sustainable future. 

How to Get Involved

The Notre Dame Futures Group convenes bright minds and leaders from across geographies and industries to solve big problems. There are plans to create additional Innovation Communities, each with a core focus such as:

  • Slainte! Wine, Beer & Spirits

  • Corporate Innovation

  • Women - Founders, Builders & Funders

  • Veterans

  • Sports

  • Health - Personal, Public & Global

  • Energy

  • Sustainability

  • Food Security

  • Faith in Communities

Sponsor a Capstone Project

Organizations may sponsor a capstone project for an ESTEEM student to develop a virtual innovation insight lab focused on the specific theme or topic area for the Community. The student will focus most of their year on validation and competitor analyses using the Innovation Methodology Insight Lenses to guide their activities. The student’s work will give the community a deeper understanding of the area, its key players, and opportunities, and the student's deliverables will become the foundational work for the program committee.

Learn more about how to sponsor a Capstone Project

Lead an Innovation Community

Our Innovation Communities need industry, faculty, and alumni leaders across a variety of roles.

Executives in Residence
Alumni industry executives and thought leaders will bridge theory and practice as student advisors, mentors, and guest speakers.

Program Committee and Community Engagement Committee
Industry experts will serve as the voice of the industry to inform the themes and topics that drive Notre Dame Futures Group’s educational experiences. They’ll help identify and recruit speakers and sponsors, and alumni.

Faculty Advisors
Notre Dame faculty will facilitate educational experiences, develop relevant content, and help identify and recruit speakers.

Learn more about leadership roles

Earn a Virtual Innovation Certificate

This program offers members of a given Innovation Community a chance to learn, apply, and ultimately get certified in the Notre Dame Futures Group’s Strategic Innovation Methodology. Participants will work on a challenge related to the community’s mission while employing the Strategic Innovation Methodology to develop real projects that offer actionable solutions. The course consists of four five-week modules, each designed to support various learning preferences and schedules. An ideal professional and personal growth opportunity, the certification program will equip professionals at any stage of their careers with essential tools and knowledge for innovation applied real-world challenges.

Innovation Community Spotlight: Sláinte

In November, 2023, the Notre Dame Futures Group hosted a three-day symposium for Sláinte, our wine, beer, and spirits Innovation Community. This multi-disciplinary conference brought together national experts from the wine, beer and spirits industry together with Notre Dame faculty across the business, law, and science schools. With over 45 speakers and over 500 attendees to both in-person and virtual sessions, we covered topics like:

  • Future trends in the industry

  • Legal updates and state regulator changes

  • Brand establishment and investing in wine and vineyards

  • Impact of environmental changes

  • Road to success for direct-to-consumer sales

  • Celebrity investments and sports partnerships

To learn more about joining the pilot, contact Futures Group Director Mary Scott at maryscott@nd.edu.